Our Lives & Beyond: Book 2 - Stratospheric
by nikiallen0119
Summary: Becoming the New Order of the Stone was never expected to be an easy task. But a less-than-friendly-almost-deathly adventure only makes it worse. After discovering a city up in the clouds, Jesse strives to be a leader, but Jane is struggling to fight off the nightmares that plague her day and night, urging her mind to remember a place she and everyone else seemingly forgot.
1. Chapter 1: New Order

The silver light of the moon shone through the crystal clear night, illuminating the jungle biome, and shining off the fur coats of ocelots that ran about. The songs of the crickets echoed through the vine covered trees, and the trickling of a nearby stream only added harmony to the chirping melody. Slowly making their way through the brush to experience first hand the wonders of the jungle biome, Jesse, Jane, and the rest of the New Order of the Stone followed behind. Petra, Axel, Olivia. They followed the twins, fighting through hoards of mobs. Through the months since becoming the New Order, their experience with combat had greatly enhanced, including the shining armor they all wore upon themselves.

After fighting the mobs, they were ready to continue their late night adventure they had set out for. In front of them lay a jungle temple made of stone, all covered in vines and other sorts of brush. Wasting no time to run in, they did, figuring out quickly how to unlock the secret passage in the floor. They had heard many things about this temple from Ivor. He was expecting for them to return to town with something from its treasury.

"I think I actually would've been disappointed if the floor didn't open up into a dark, creepy passageway." Axel chuckled at the sight of the long, winding staircase that led down into the dark. However, the faint glow of lava trickling down the stone walls provided the light needed to see, plus a bit of near-unbearable heat.

"This kinda reminds me of when we first found the Order's temple." Petra told Jane as they all began walking down the staircase. The redhead put her enchanted golden sword in her sheath after speaking.

Jane nodded, "It does. Although, there is definitely more lava here than there. We were just a scared bunch of noobs, back then."

Jesse burst out laughing, "Haha! Yeah, we had no idea what we were getting into. Hilarious!"

"And to think... that was just the beginning!" Olivia breathed out, beginning to fantasize.

Growing silent, they made it to the bottom of the staircase, finding a circle of chests.

"Bingo!" The twins shouted in unison. They scrambled to open each one, more than eager to see what was inside them. Jesse pulled out a cake, which was split evenly among all five of them. Jane found some diamonds and emeralds, which she eagerly stuffed into her inventory. Olivia found pairs of gold, iron and diamond horse armor, Petra discovered Ender Pearls, ingots, and some rare beat seeds, while Axel pulled out cookies and lapis. The group were more than pleased with their newfound treasures.

"Wait, there's one more thing in here!" Jesse called out, digging through the chest. Pulling out a glowing pair of what looked to be enchanted flint and steel, all their eyes popped wide. They began to marvel at the newfound treasure in Jesse's hands.

"That glow... is it some sort of enchantment?" Jane asked as she examined the flint and steel. She could almost feel a wave of power surging when she dared to touch if. The feeling made her change her mind.

"I don't know." Olivia shrugged, seeing that the glow was different than usual enchantments, "I've seen people put an Unbreaking enchantment on a flint and steel before, but that's not Unbreaking."

"You could give it a shot and find out!" Petra urged, to which Axel nodded in swift agreement. Jesse knelt towards the ground and struck the flint and steel together. A blinding flash surged around them for a moment before disappearing. They could all agree that none of them had ever seen flint and steel do such a thing before.

Deciding to run and leave the temple at the sudden sound of approaching zombies, they ran up the stairs, trying to avoid streams of lava, as well as other mobs that has spawned. The smell of spider guts as they cut through them was a protruding stench, yet they continued to make their way out, finally escaping safely with their treasures. Signature combat moves they had used such as the Warrior Whip, Redstone Rap, Builders Bump and Griefer Grab all came in absolute handy. They began praising each other for a job well done. Jesse even struck an old tree stump with the flint and steel out of curiosity, and sky blue flames came burning to life.

"Well well. Where'd you get the new toy?" A teasing voice came from beside them and they all turned, seeing a young man they recognized come out from the trees with another man and woman. It was Lukas' old Ocelot gang by the names of Aiden, Gill and Maya. Aiden, the one who had spoken, approached with an enchanted diamond sword held tightly in his right hand, along with a sinister grin spread across his face.

"Looks a little sophisticated for you, Jesse." Aiden teased, "And your sister. Ah, can't ever forget her. Especially not after our little... discussion during that Endercon building competition. She's feisty! I like that in a woman."

"What do you want, Aiden?" Jesse snapped, greatly disliking what was being said about his twin sister, "What are you and the Ocelots doing here?"

Aiden rolled his emerald green eyes, "The Ocelots were Lukas' gang. We ditched that name just like we ditched him."

"Yeah, we rebranded!" Maya added in, acting like the airhead she was, "We're the Blaze Rods now."

"Oh that's too bad, I liked the Ocelots better." Jane teased in Aiden's face, making his jaw clench.

"That's what I said." Gill mumbled under his breath, earning a death glare from his leader.

"Where's Lukas, huh?" Aiden asked, noticing the blonde haired man was not in their presence, "The minute the Order decided you were cool, he wouldn't stop sniffing around you like a tamed dog."

"You take that back!" Petra shouted in anger, "Lukas is ten times the man you are."

"Yeah, Lukas is a hero, which is more than I can say for any of you creeps." Jesse concluded, not willing to back down for even a second.

Looking down at the enchanted flint and steel still in Jesse's hands, Aiden hissed,

"You probably think that thing makes you so special. Classic Jesse... and his dumb sister. You take all the best stuff and never give anyone else a chance. That should've been ours! It's just what I'd expect from someone as small-minded as you." Pointing his sword at Jane, he threatened, "Hand over the flint and steel! Don't make me ask again."

Jesse pulled out his own sword. "Don't you dare threaten or hurt my sister." He growled, his voice sounding like dripping venom. The rest of the New Order pulled out their weapons, ready for a fight.

"Some heroes you are!" Aiden yelled, "Fine. But what hope do we have when 'heroes' like you are throwing your weight around like this?! It's not always going to be this way, though." Turning around to leave, the Blaze Rods departed in a furry. The New Order decided they should head back to town, but the sight of what they had just seen was enough to make them realize that Aiden was different, and for all the wrong reasons. They needed to be careful.


	2. Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

The sky was still very dark, despite the moonlight, as the New Order made their way through the jungle back to town on their all-night journey. It would take till mid morning for them to arrive at their destination, but none of them cared. They enjoyed the opportunities to admire the wildlife. However, after at least a half hour of travel, a chill ran down Jane's spine, making her shiver. A dark feeling overcame her, almost as if she knew she was being watched, or danger was approaching. Despite having no explanation as to why she was feeling such emotions and experiencing the unwanted thoughts, she hated them, and wished they would go away. As the feelings intensified, her heart raced and anxiety rose within her, until all motion around her had stopped. Her friends and twin brother were frozen in place, unresponsive. Now it was a living nightmare, especially when all went dark.

When the darkness finally gave way, all she could see was a living image of herself, chained and trapped in a cell. Jane could see that her cloned image wore an orange jumpsuit over a gray tank top. She could also see the skin on the figure appeared cut and minorly bruised. But she looked absolutely miserable as she clung to the iron bars that erased all freedom, and the look on her face almost begged for escape. Jane didn't know what to think of all that she was seeing. She did know for a fact that the image could not see her, and it was all too confusing. As sudden as the image appeared, it began to fade away into darkness again. When all was black once more, a chilling child's voice whispered in Jane's ear,

"Mommy... what's beyond the wall?" snapping her back to reality.

When the vision gave way, Jane could see her brother standing beside her, as the rest of the group stared in complete worry.

"What happened? Where did I go?!" Jane panicked, gripping onto Jesse's bicep as her heart still raced.

Jesse's brows furrowed, "You didn't go anywhere. You only stared into space for a few minutes. C'mon, let's get you back home. You're just tired."

And so they completed their journey back, but Jane was not entirely comforted.

The sight of Beacontown's entrance was more than relieving when it came into view. The sun had risen, and they were all ready to take a breather. Jane was still hoping she could dampen her worries, including what she thought of Aiden.

"Don't worry." Petra comforted to her best friend while throwing an arm around Jane's shoulder as they walked. The red head could tell what Jane worried about, "No matter what Aiden thinks, they think we're awesome." Petra pointed to the crowd of people waiting for them to fully arrive as they walked through Beacontown's small gates. The pedestrians squealed at the sight of them all while cheering, "They're back! Our heroes are back!" People began pouring out of their homes, crowding around the New Order of the Stone, cheering and singing. The town had grown tremendously, becoming a home and haven to hundreds of citizens. Axel took off his clear, fishbowl-like helmet before starting to flirt with a crowd of girls. Olivia narrowed and rolled her eyes at that. The twins were deeply honored, although they didn't feel deserving of so much praise. Petra enjoyed every minute of it without a care in the world. She loved being famous, especially since she was famous for adventure. The New Order could only attempt to meander through the screaming and cheering crowd, also hoping to get past a few fangirls that stuck out like sore thumbs.

"Alright, move along everyone, secretary coming through!" A girl shouted as she pushed her way through the crowd, "That would be me. Step aside, peasants!" The girl helped guide the New Order out from the chaos, and the people dissipated slowly. The group could finally breathe.

"You can thank me later." The teenage girl winked as she crossed her arms.

"Thanks so much, Zoe." Jane smiled, holding back laughter at the ambitious teenager. Zoe had honestly never been given the job of being secretary, but she had taken it upon herself.

"I'm so happy you guys are back!" Zoe cheered, somewhat acting like a fangirl herself, "I've had to help run this whole town without you. Do you know how hard it's been?! When people are constantly knocking on your door for food, it takes a toll on ya. It really does."

"Happy to see you've kept the town in good shape." Jesse complimented, "Love what you've done with the place!"

Zoe shrugged, "Just had a few extra homes built in. No biggie. Although, I'm thinking that an apartment complex would be wonderful in the corner of town! Maybe someday."

"That would be freaking awesome!" Axel cheered, giving her a fist bump.

"You're shaping up to be a wonderful constructor and leader." Olivia added with a bittersweet smile on her face, "Your Aunt would be more than proud. You've become just like her in your thinking."

Tears sprang to Zoe's eyes, although she tried to fling them away. The young girl could only run up and hug Olivia while whispering a thank you. Any memory of Ellegaard was beautifully painful.

A scream of terror erupted the moment of silence. After running down the street to find the commotion, they saw a structure resting near the freshly built houses. It was a skull-like tower with lava pouring from it onto the ground, flowing into the street.

"Oh... wow." Were the only words to be said in the moment, and they came from Petra, who had only mumbled them under her breath. After approaching closer to get a better look, they could see someone standing on the tower's balcony. It was Ivor. He shouted down to the screaming and worried people,

"Oh, stop your whining! What are your pathetic injuries in comparison to my majestic tower?!" He finally noticed the twins and their friends in the crowd, "Jesse, Jane, all of you guys are back! Don't listen to a word these fools tell you."

"It's a fire hazard!" An elderly woman wailed.

"And your face is an ugly hazard!" Ivor growled back, not caring about what came out of his mouth.

"You need to remove this tower!" A middle aged man shouted to Jesse from the crowd. Jesse was the true leader of Beacontown.

"Jesse..." Ivor pleaded from his balcony, "All I wanted was what any man wants. A little house of my own. With loads of lava pouring off it!"

"I thought he was about to say he wanted a girlfriend, but meh." Zoe whispered to Olivia, making the young woman choke on laughter.

"Ivor, I know you mean well, but your 'house' wants to kill people!" Petra explained a little less than gently.

"Jesse!" Ivor pleaded again, climbing down from his balcony to run up to the young man and beg, "It's my house! I have just as much a right to build something as all these people, don't I?"

"Yes, you do!" Jane agreed, giving into Ivor's puppy dog eyes, "Please let him keep it, Jess."

Knowing it was more than hard to say no to his twin sister, Jesse agreed to let Ivor keep the tower, as long as a barrier was built to keep the lava in place. Axel, Olivia and Zoe set off to do that at once. After they had left, Jesse spoke,

"We just got back from that temple you told us about. The one in the jungle."

Ivor's eyes widened, "What? You did?!" He then began to feign, "Hahaha, yes, great to see you again. Let's do lunch. I'll bring the carrots!" Lowering his voice, he whispered huskily to the twins and Petra, "There's no telling who's listening! Meet me in the treasure room. Ten minutes. And bring the thing you found!" With that, he darted off.

Jesse, Jane and Petra headed off to the town hall. The first room that came into view for all who entered was the treasury. It was quite similar to the treasure room kept in Ivor's laboratory basement, and all of the treasures had indeed been transported to the very hall they were standing in, plus some.

The warm, radiant sunlight poured through the stain glass windows, creating rainbows that danced over the red carpet and marble floors. Ivor was not in sight as the trio entered the room further, but there was someone standing there. Lukas. Despite his back being turned to them, they could clearly see his blonde hair glowing in the sunlight.

"Lukas!" Jane called out, making the young man turn to meet the trio. A very noticeable smile spread across his face at the sight of them, especially Jane.

"Hey guys!" Lukas cheered, running up to give them all a hug. He continued after pulling away, "You have some pretty cool stuff in here." Although he had been acknowledged at the presentation of the New Order, he had never really seen himself as a part in it. At times, he felt like an outcast, especially being an old Ocelot member.

"It's been awhile!" Jesse stated with a smile, happy to see his friend, "You've been gone on a journey since before the New Order left for our adventure. Where'd you go?"

Lukas shrugged, "You know, just going around, helping to rebuild and stuff. The Wither Storm left a big mess out there. It's gonna take awhile, years even, before everything gets back to normal."

"Yeah, a lot of homes got wrecked." Petra replied with a sad nod, "That's really good of you to help out like that. I'm sure the people appreciate it."

Jane became distracted from the conversation as she noticed a banner of Reuben hanging on the wall. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes, and it didn't take long for Jesse to notice. Although he tried to give support, he felt the pain in his heart along with his sister.

"How are you guys doing?" Lukas hesitantly asked, "You know... after losing him?"

Jane didn't want to reply, but Jesse did with a shaky tone, "For me, I try not to think about it. I haven't since it happened. It's... easier that way."

A moment of dead silence lingered, only saddening the moment even more so. Lukas exhaled deeply, hoping to enlighten the conversation again.

"Guys, I promise I didn't come here to bum everybody out." He said, feeling bad that he talked about the painful memory of Reuben, "I actually came back here because I needed to tell you something important. I had this... weird run-in with Aiden a few days ago. What he claimed you said or did during your adventure really got to him. Apparently someone told him about Ivor giving you a tip on some kind of treasure? Anyway, he really wanted it first, and the fact that you took it and wouldn't give it up made him more than angry. He's just been so jealous of you and the rest of the Order ever since you saved the world from the Wither Storm. Convinced that he was supposed to be a hero. Ever since he took over the Ocel... erm... Blaze Rods, it seems like he's just gotten... meaner. He's pushing Maya and Gill around."

Jesse crossed his arms, "He's jealous? Why?"

"He thinks you're big bullies. Looting and keeping all the good stuff your yourself. What'd you find that got Aiden so excited, anyway?"

Pulling out the glowing flint and steel, Jesse held it in his hands. Jane, Petra and Lukas crowded around him. It was such a fascinating sight.

"You found it!" Ivor yelled as he had suddenly run up beside them, causing the four others to yelp in surprise. Ivor had a knack for doing such things, "This is the greatest find of our time."

"How did you know about this?" Jane asked out of curiosity, wanting answers. They all did.

"Endless research into the cracks in reality." Ivor stated as if it was as simple as mining, "The artifacts that shape and bend the rules as we know them. That glow... that enchantment on the flint and steel, is the work of a very old group of builders. A group so old they existed even before the Order of the Stone! It's incredible. You see, if these builders truly existed, and if you found their temple, that means we're one step closer to finding 'The Eversource'! This is no fairytale. I've found books, mysterious tombs, referencing it on my travels. The Eversource is said to be an object of incredible power possessed by the Old Builders. It was some sort of treasure or artifact that gave an endless supply of precious materials. Think about it. That temple must've been its hiding place!"

Jesse raised an eyebrow, "Okay... so this flint and steel might have this Old Builder enchantment, but how do you know that's where this Eversource thing is?"

"I've traveled near and far, Jesse. And that temple, that flint and steel, is the only firm proof that I've ever seen of the Old Builders."

"Old Builders, Eversources, ancient mysteries... you know I'm in!" Petra exclaimed.

Ivor cheered, "Excellent! I'll pack my adventuring things immediately. Lukas may come as well. We may need some extra hands in the temple."

That made the blonde haired man smile.

As they all began to dart out of the town hall, Jane was the only one who seemed to be trailing behind. She was distracted. Ivor noticed and stopped walking to approach her.

"Jane... are you alright?" He asked her softly. It wasn't in his normal nature to be so sentimental, but he felt that it was needed.

The young woman snapped out of her daze and replied with a shrug, "I don't really know. Just tired, I guess. And confused."

"About what?"

Jane was hesitant to reply. She couldn't decide if talking about her troubles would help or worsen the situation. After taking a deep breath, she replied, "I experienced a vision last night on the way home from the jungle. It was so confusing... I didn't understand it. But now I can't stop playing it in my head. I've had this happen before months ago, but I can never understand why."

Ivor's brows furrowed in thought. He was silent a moment before answering, "I'm no expert at this, but I do know that visions are often messages of what may or may not happen in the future. It could also perhaps be a dream of fantasy. The one thing to remember is to never ignore them, but don't fear them. Take it as your beacon of hope, and an opportunity to learn whatever lesson this vision wishes to give you. Don't worry, you're a brave girl. I have great faith in you."

Jane smiled with gratitude, "Thank you, Ivor. I never knew you were so wise."


	3. Chapter 3: On Edge

The jungle they walked through seemed all too familiar to the twins, Lukas and Petra, who dragged along Ivor. No, scratch that. Ivor was dragging _them_ along. His fangirl-like attitude about experiencing adventure again was a little less than being weird. Despite Ivor's extravagant attitude, the other four travelers were not exactly enjoying the trip. Memories of what happened with Aiden flooded their minds. It wasn't like he had filled them with fear or any of the sort, but no interruptions would be more than appreciated. They hoped he and his two friends stayed away.

After Jesse and Jane worked to stop Petra from feeling strong annoyance towards Ivor, they peacefully made it through the jungle, finally arriving at the temple they sought out to find. Ivor cheered with joy and ran inside as Lukas, Petra and the twins followed, unsure of what to really look for. One thing they discovered quickly after searching through the temple was that the hidden entrance in the floor was not opening again. That only made Ivor quick to explain that those passages were made to be used once. Searching the temple further, which only existed of walking around one room, they were surprised to find no doors to other rooms. The temple seemed huge from the outside, and most definitely covered in vines. Nevertheless, they were expecting a bit more.

Jesse looked high and low, searching for the abnormal. Jane was swift to follow his lead. After discovering a pair of vines, they climbed for the fun of it. They were surprised to discover a second floor at the top. The cracked stone walls seemed to be crumbling, revealing the view of the treetops outside. It almost reminded them of when they first discovered the Order's temple all those months ago.

"Everyone, come up here!" Jane shouted down to Ivor, Petra and Lukas at sight of the new room. As their excitement began to bubble, the twins discovered a strange pattern in the wall. It was almost a rounded triangle, if the shape was such a thing. It was made out of chiseled quartz and lined with gold. Jesse unexpectedly stepped on a pressure plate, causing the pattern to move a block out of the wall, revealing that it seemed to be some strange type of unlit portal. In this moment, the other three had climbed up the vines and made it to the top.

"Is that some kind of... portal?" Lukas asked, unknowingly voicing the exact thoughts in the twins' heads.

"It's just as I'd imagined!" Ivor breathed out in utter excitement, running up to the portal to nearly embrace it.

"But where does it lead?" Jesse was quick to ask before anything turned weird. He was beginning to feel hot and sticky in his red armor. The best thing would be to make their discovery fast and head home.

"I... I don't know." Ivor responded sheepishly as he stroked his beard. This was the first time he had no answers for the adventure, "This portal... it's not like anything I've ever seen!"

Remembering that lighting portals required flint and steel, Jesse's eyes lit up as he pulled out the enchanted pair he had kept with him. He made eye contact with Jane, who smiled and nodded in complete agreement, before he went up and struck the portal with enchanted fire the flint and steel emitted. The entranced of the portal swirled to life, knocking them back. The enchanted flint and steel flung out of Jesse's hands and rolled across the floor, landing at the feet of someone who had just entered. Aiden, followed by his band of Blaze Rods.

"Oh, thanks for bringing this back to me." Aiden teased with a chuckle as he picked up the enchanted flint and steel.

"Why are you being such a tool?!" Jane asked sternly, wanting to charge at him, but kept her cool, somewhat.

Aiden growled, not wanting to answer Jane's question as his green eyes seemed to burn into her, "Your little adventure is over. Time to go home! So step aside. We're going through that portal, now."

"Oh no way!" Petra shouted, stomping her foot once on the stone floor.

Lukas narrowed his eyes, "Aiden, you're done. This is where it ends!"

"Fine." Aiden hissed. He then crossed his arms before commanding, "Blaze Rods, clear me a path."

With wicked smiles on their faces, Maya and Gill pulled out enchanted diamond swords, ready to fight. The twins felt pale at this. No person they had met, despite some of the residents in Boom Town, were ever willing to harm or murder someone with a weapon just to get what they wanted. The twins pulled out their weapons, along with Petra, Lukas and even Ivor. The fight was quick. Only a few clash of swords. Deep down, both Gill and Maya really had no intent of hurting anyone. However, the fight was enough distraction to allow Aiden to slip by and make it to the portal.

"Let's go!" He shouted, before he jumped through. Maya and Gill quickly followed, faster than anyone could process what was going on.

"We've got to follow them!" Ivor shouted while pointing to the portal, "If they get the Eversource, who knows what trouble they'll cause!"

Petra nodded, "I don't usually like agreeing with Ivor, but he's got a point. Who knows what trouble Aiden could be causing in there."

"I suppose you're right." Was all Jesse could say. The portal felt as if it was calling them in, strangely reminding the twins of a situation they felt they had been through before. They had to go through. Mustering up the courage left inside them, the swirling blue aura of the portal was quick to welcome them in, teleporting them to the great unknown.

...

Their stomachs dropped as they fell through to wherever they would land. Once they did, Jesse felt as if he had been spit out. He bumped into Ivor, nearly knocking him off the edge of what they quickly discovered to be a very small island floating in the sky. It was about the size of a house.

After pulling Ivor to safety, Jesse gasped, "You are surprisingly heavy!"

"I am the proportionate weight for my height, thank you very much!" Ivor snapped, beginning to feel exasperated.

"What just happened? Where are we?" Jane asked, seeing nothing but blue sky and the puny island all around them.

"I suspect we're in an entirely different world." Ivor mumbled, greatly shocking the rest of the group who didn't dare to respond to the statement.

Jesse kept Jane close to him. If they were indeed in another world with potentially unknown dangers, he would be sure to keep his twin sister safe. They walked to the other side of the island to look down through the clouds. To their utter surprise, a city resting on a large, floating island could be seen. The twins called the group over, making sure their eyes weren't playing tricks on them.

"Oh wow, I'm really surprised I didn't notice that sooner." Petra said in shock, wondering if this was all a dream, "A city in the clouds... it almost sounds impossible!"

Lukas shrugged, "I just don't know how we're gonna reach it."

"I guess we can just settle for a bridge." Jesse replied passively.

"I don't know. Seems like a long way. Do we have enough blocks?"

"This island is definitely big enough." Jane continued for her brother, "If we dig up this entire island, we should have enough to get us over there."

And so they dug, building the bridge over to the city. And despite how ironic the situation felt, it was all too real.


	4. Chapter 4: Bewildered

Creating the bridge was not as easy as the group had anticipated. Due to non important shoving during the build, and Ivor creating a dirt skull with lava pouring from it, bridging across took much longer than needed. When they had arrived on the larger island, a city of gold and the entrance to it was right there to meet them. Taking it all in was overwhelming.

"You're... building!" A man gasped as he exited from the city's stone entrance. The group gave the man confused looks. Of course they would be building. How else would they have made it over from the other island? The man must be crazy, they thought. Whoever he was, he seemed oddly nervous.

"Hey..." Jesse approached, trying to be a little less than awkward, "Yeah, we're building. Is something wrong with that...?"

"I, uh... y-you don't know?" The man stammered in great worry and confusion, "Y-You were building! Unauthorized building is against the law."

The group listening to the man were more than shocked at this point, they might as well have fallen off the sky island.

"There's a law saying people can't build?!" Petra exclaimed, not wanting to believe her ears for even a second.

The man nearly shouted in return, "Yes, it's forbidden!"

"Why is it against the law?" Jane demanded, "Are you guys under imprisonment?"

"I..." The man began to back up, "This is making me terribly nervous. First those other outsiders, now you..."

"Other outsiders?" Lukas pried, "Where are they?"

"They went to the inn. I'm sorry, but that's all I know!" And with that, the man retreated back into the city in a frazzled mess.

Jesse shrugged his shoulders after staying silent for a few moments, working to fully process what had just happened. This "adventure" already seemed insane. Deciding to take the lead, the twins entered the city through the entrance with their friends following behind them. The entire city was lined with gold, quartz and other precious materials. People walked around in a calm, orderly fashion, with stone looks on their faces. A little pond with lily pads rested in the center of the city, and further in, a palace of gold and iron sat majestically wide and tall.

"Wow..." Lukas breathed out after meandering up closer to where Jane was standing.

"My thoughts exactly." Jane replied to the blonde man standing beside her. Both of their eyes caught sight of the guards standing around in various places of the city while clad in golden armor. The suspicions rose.

"We need to find Aiden and his gang." Jesse spoke up, trying to keep everyone on track of what they came for, "He's got our flint and steel and he's up to no good, but we're gonna stop him."

"The guy back there mentioned an inn." Petra replied while tucking some of her red hair behind her ear, "That seems like our best lead for finding Aiden so far."

"We need to get to that Eversource before he does!" Ivor exclaimed, already splitting up from the group to do a thorough search throughout the city. Everyone else did the same.

The twins navigated the city, staring in disarray at the sight of people being orderly lined up to use the available crafting tables and furnaces. No one there looked happy. They all seemed so monotonic in their facial expressions, and even devoid of any happiness. Finally deciding to speak to someone, Jesse approached a man in the way back of the line. Jane stayed by her brother's side, taking his lead.

"This is a long line just to use a crafting table." Jesse approached with crossed arms. The man looked surprised at first, but then he nodded and replied,

"You're telling me. I'm so hungry, I could practically eat my wheat right here. But I won't. I'll be patient and turn it into delicious bread instead. What, um, can I do for ya?"

Jesse answered quickly, "I hear you guys have some inn around here. Where is it?"

"Oh, uh, Milo's place? That guy's hilarious. He's over thataway." The man pointed over to the left hand side of the city.

"'Milo', huh?" Jane added in, "Is he an honest person?"

The man chuckled, "Never met anyone more honest in my entire life."

The twins were skeptical. They couldn't tell whether the man's comment was laced with sarcasm or not. They could only thank him and be on their way.

"So that one man was right." Jane spoke to her brother in surprise as they searched for the inn, "People are only allowed to build and craft when authorized."

"I suppose that's what the rules are here." Jesse mumbled, searching around for a sign of the inn.

"Yes, but no one should have to live in captivity like that." Jane expressed, just before the twins came across a sign that read,

 _"No building, no crafting, no brewing, no forging, unless with EXPRESSED PERMISSION from The Founder. All complaints must be registered in person."_

"This is insane!" Jane burst out, followed by Jesse shushing her from raising her voice too much. They had to move on. They passed Lukas, who was keeping a watchful eye on the many guards. They meant business. He also heard from one of them that The Founder was the keeper of the Eversource. They had a good lead so far. The twins went deeper into the city, at last finding the inn. A man with blonde hair and a mustache seemed to be doing a quiet and quick deal with another person. When the other person had left, the twins walked up to the man, who seemed as if he had something to hide.

"Why hello there." The man quickly spoke, "What can I do for you?"

"We heard from someone in town that you could help us?" Jesse inquired as he kept a hand on his sister's shoulder. He was very unsure about the current situation.

That man gave out a fake laugh, "Other people were talking about me? No, they must have me mistaken for some other handsome innkeeper. Out of curiosity, what is it that they thought I could help you with?"

"Some punks are trying to steal the Eversource." Jane stated with narrowed eyes, "You know anything about it?"

The man crossed his arms, "Really? You come up to me, interrogating me about some... outlandish nonsense, and then you want to discuss someone stealing our city's most valuable treasure?! I don't want any part of it! I'm sorry, but it's like I told those other outsiders. I can't help you. Now please-"

"Is this our guy?" A voice, Petra's, interrupted as she and the rest of the group approached where the twins stood.

"How many of you are there?!" The man burst out in exasperation, "I told you, I don't know anything!"

"We know you talked to them, Milo." Jesse said, hiding his smirk at the man's expression when he said his name, "Just spill it."

"Fine!" Milo exclaimed in frustration, "If it will make you leave me alone, that 'Aiden' fellow did come talk to me earlier. Wanted to know where the Eversource was. I just told him what everyone else already knows. The Eversource is in the palace with The Founder. That's all that happened, I swear! The group left for the palace, and I haven't seen them since."

The group rushed to the palace at the sound of what Milo said, just as a guard walked out and announced,

"Attention, everyone! Just a moment if your time, please! Emergency meeting in the Founder's Garden! Attendance is mandatory!" A large crowd gathered around at the foot of the palace, right where the twins and their friends stood. The Founder walked out through the palace's gold and iron entrance. She was a beautiful young woman, with flowing black hair, bright green eyes with sparkling green eyeshadow of the same shade on her pale skin, and she wore a long, gold and black flowing dress. The last was a large ring of gold she wore on her head like a crown. Standing beside her was Aiden and the Blaze Rods.

"People of Sky City!" The Founder called out, speaking with a slight posh accent, "I'm sorry to pull you from your duties, but something urgent has come to my attention. A crime has been committed." The crowd gasped in surprise as The Founder continued, "Please, remain calm. Earlier today, outsiders built a bridge into our fair city from a distant island. Now, whether these outsiders know it or not, this is a violation if Sky City's most sacred law: no unauthorized building."

Milo was near, and he turned to look at the twins while gasping, "You're the bridge builders?!"

"We didn't know it was illegal!" Ivor whisper yelled in anger.

Aiden whispered in The Founder's ear, and then she announced, "Jesse, Jane, wherever you two are, step forward now! I have already been informed of your identity. I appreciate that you may be ignorant of our laws, but I will warn you, Sky City is small, and I promise that if you try to hide, I will find you!"

As guards rushed into the crowd, Milo grabbed Jesse's arm, leading him away. Petra followed, but Lukas, Ivor and Jane were taken in the clutches of The Founder. They could not get away fast enough.


	5. Chapter 5: Wrongly Accused

Jane swallowed a large lump in her throat as she stood before The Founder in the golden palace. Lukas was beside Jane on her right, and Ivor stood at her left. Two guards kept watch over them as The Founder gifted Aiden, Maya and Gill for their assistance. The sight of everything unfolding in front of Jane simply infuriated her. All they had come for was, in Ivor's opinion, the Eversource, which he continued to whisper about with Lukas. The twins only wanted to stop Aiden and the Blaze Rods from whatever trouble they planned to cause. And now that the twins had been separated, it left a deep pain in Jane's heart. She knew he couldn't be far, yet she needed him in this moment. During interrogation, what would she say? Jesse always had the right words. She would only fail and get them into even more trouble. To snap her out of her thoughts, Aiden grasped her wrist tightly on his way out. He leaned closely to her ear, enough for Jane to feel his warm breath and the vibration in his husky voice.

"I hope you like being doomed." He whispered through his devilish smirk, "You're going to get what's coming to you."

Jane's heart was compelled to beating in fear, making her blood run cold, yet she kept a fiery gaze strong enough to kill, making Aiden release his grip and march away with his teammates.

As the guards pushed Jane, Ivor and Lukas forward to where The Founder sat on a golden throne, she announced,

"Jane and accomplices, you have committed acts of wanton and illegal building. Something specifically forbidden by our laws. Explain yourself."

Jane swallowed hard. She knew the two men on her side were expecting her to take the leading role. Through her dry lips, she replied, "Y-Your Highness, we didn't know it was against the law when we started to build. We were stranded! Honestly, what else were we supposed to do?"

"Ignorance won't get you any favors." The Founder spoke as her eyes narrowed, "Aiden has told me about you. All of you. About how you're tyrants back home. About how you and your 'Order of the Stone' steal all the world's treasures for yourselves. About how you're here to steal the Eversource from my city. A terrible act of treason!"

Jane kneeled down in respect, motioning for Ivor and Lukas to do they same. They hoped it would help. Jane replied, "Founder, Aiden is a master manipulator. He'd say anything to get his hands on the Eversource."

"Hhmf! Much like you would seem to be doing right now." The Founder retorted. Jane frowned. There was great truth in that. If it wasn't for everyone else, Ivor would have stolen the Eversource ages ago.

The Founder stood up out of her throne and said quite passively, "Jane, it's clear that you, in this moment, are the little ring leader here, so how about you come with me."

Jane was shoved forward by one of the guards, and although reluctant, she followed The Founder to an exit leading to the outside on the edge of the island. It was a small garden with a brook, flowers, and a single tree. The warm sun shone through the clear blue sky on the two of them as The Founder and Jane were left alone to speak, despite the two guards standing near the entrance. The cool breeze helped to release the tension that had been building in the throne room.

"Tell me what you see." The Founder spoke in a deadpan voice as she pointed out to the vast blue void beyond the island. Jane's brows furrowed as silence began to linger through the breeze. She finally replied,

"I... don't see anything."

The Founder nodded, "Precisely. As you can see, nothing exists below us. Only the void. Resources, every kind, are incredibly precious. And when something falls, it is gone forever." Letting a piece of cobblestone slip through her fingers, The Founder dropped it into the void as an example of her speech, "It is why building only happens when I dictate it. People only receive materials when I allow it. Otherwise... we would collapse back into chaos. It is my duty to keep my people safe, and the only way I can do that is if our laws are obeyed."

"Well, yes, I suppose." Jane answered slowly with a small nod, trying to process everything, "But you have the Eversource, right? Can't you just use that to make more materials?"

The Founder shook her head sadly, "It is not that simple. People act as though I want to be this way. Allocating the limited resources, risking my life every day... "

"Risking your life? Is the Eversource dangerous?"

"More than you could know. I'll have you know that before I found the Eversource, this world was nothing more than a cluster of pathetic islands in the sky. I do this for my people. That... is why I do what I do."

"But you don't need to do it alone!" Jane was quick to say, "We could help you, we could work together."

"No! This is my city, these are my people, and it is my responsibility. There is nothing you can do that would outweigh your crimes. You have caused a rift in our way of living. You have put my people in danger. That cannot go untreated. You must tell me where your brother and his friend are hiding. He can't be far. If you tell us, I may consider letting you go." A playful glimmer danced in The Founder's eyes, feeling delighted at the shocked look on the face of her victim.

"I won't tell you." Jane responded firmly, "Lock me up for all I care, but I won't let any harm come to my brother."

The Founder pursed her lips, "As you wish. I think I've heard quite enough." Snapping her fingers, the guards obeyed her wish, leading Jane back into the throne room to stand beside Ivor and Lukas once more. The Founder sat on her throne and announced to one of the guards, "Reginald, I have made my decision. While I'm not convinced that these people are here to steal the Eversource, the fact remains that they constructed a bridge of dirt without authorization. That is why they are to be detained until I can discern the full truth of the matter. Please remove them."

Protesting was out of the question. Iron bars were the only thing that kept the trio from the outside world in a matter of seconds.


	6. Chapter 6: Build Club

Jesse ran. Petra was following as they both followed Milo through the city. The guards shouted and chased after them, trying to hunt them down. Jesse's lungs were burning. He could hear Petra's panting alongside him. Milo, however, ran with complete ease. It was more the adrenaline that made Jesse's breathing shallow. After losing the guards for a moment, Milo swiftly pulled Jesse and Petra into his inn. Another man was already there, seeming to be the assistant and partner caretaker.

"Just in here, yes..." Milo breathed out as he quickly bolted the doors shut, including the window shutters. All light that was left was the faint glow of the fireplace.

"Where do we hide in here?!" Petra exclaimed, but trying to simultaneously keep her voice down.

Milo looked at the two of them seriously and spoke with a lowered voice, "Before I take you two any further, you must take an oath. You must swear to never reveal what I am about to show you."

Jesse and Petra agreed. The sound of guards shouting outside the inn quickened their heartbeats.

"Philippe!" Milo whisper shouted to the other man, who nodded in understanding. He pulled a lever that was hidden behind one of the kitchen counters, causing the wall to open up, revealing a secret passage to a hidden basement. As soon as Milo, Jesse and Petra walked through, the wall closed behind them. Here, they would be kept hidden.

The basement was small and cold, yet well kept. A dozen people or so were also down there, fiddling around with crafting tables and such. The people didn't seem to own much by the looks of their resources and clothing material, but it was quite understandable, given that The Founder seemed to be so controlling over every possession.

"This is Build Club!" Milo announced with a wide smile on his face, "Everything you see before you was built from resources that my people have saved, or... er... obtained. I started this club because, well... you see, a long time ago, I was just a citizen of Sky City, like any other. I wanted to build a small community garden, so I put in a petition for a dirt block, and mercy me, it was granted! But in my excitement and haste to build my garden, I accidentally dropped my new block and it fell. Right over the edge. For my crime, I was tossed into The Founder's dungeons, and I was in there for a very, very long time. God forbid The Founder ever hears me say this, but she is a controlling maniac. I wanted to give these people a chance to see what it was like to express themselves through the imagination that comes with crafting. After all, I want them to find at least an ounce of happiness in this dull, controlling world. When something falls off the edge into the void, it's gone forever. But I've always believed in my heart that just because building is risky, it doesn't mean that no one should do it."

Jesse replied rather sternly, "Look... it's wonderful to see what you're doing for these people, but my twin sister is in the clutches of The Founder. A couple of my friends were taken, too. I need your help to get them out!"

At the sound of Jesse's raising voice, all the people finally turned around to notice the two newcomers.

"Bringing in outsiders? Seriously?!" A man from the group exclaimed in shock and slight distrust.

A woman retorted to Milo after him, "Pretty hard to keep this a secret club if you just bring people in."

"Hey, it's alright!" Jesse exclaimed while holding his hands up, "We're builders just like you."

Petra nodded vigorously, "Jesse's right! Just chill out. We're the ones that built the bridge into town today."

The group let out loud gasps as their eyes widened.

"You brought in criminals, Milo?!" Some people were exclaiming, in their own words.

"I assure you, harboring them is worth the risk!" Milo tried to calm down the anxious group, "They are the epitome of Build Club material."

"We'll prove it to you if we have to!" Jesse announced, which led to the people agreeing that the test would be perfectly suitable.

After Milo handed both Jesse and Petra some building materials he salvaged, the two got to work at one of the nearby crafting tables.

"Any ideas?" Petra muttered under her breath.

"Just follow my lead." Jesse replied.

After a few materials had been crafted and blocks placed, Petra quickly caught on to what Jesse was doing. In the blink of an eye, an iron golem was crafted. It came to life, ready to protect its creators. The crowd of people, including Milo, didn't know whether to be excited or terrified. No one ever had enough materials to craft such things.

"The golem is under our control!" Jesse said loudly, trying to calm the people, "But I command him to be Build Club's guardian."

The people's fear dissipated, and it turned into pure gratitude.

"We'd be more than happy to work alongside you!" A man from the crowd shouted to Jesse and Petra, making them smile. Milo winked at them.

"Okay... so any plans on getting us into the palace?" Petra inquired, not willing to waste any time.

"Ah yes, that is why you are here." Milo agreed with a quick nod of his head, "I must say, though, after seeing you in action, your skills are even more impressive than I could've imagined! So impressive that I wonder if I could implore you for a tiny favor. If I help you into the palace, you help me steal the Eversource for my people."

"Having to deal with your problems wasn't what I had in mind." Jesse nearly snapped, feeling irritated, "I know how much this means to you... but I don't know if it's right. I'll help you to a certain extent, but I won't be touching the Eversource. Stealing it will not be on my hands. I only want to save my sister and my friends alongside you, your crew and Petra."

Milo grinned widely while shaking Jesse and Petra's hands, "It's a deal!"


	7. Chapter 7: Locked Away

_Jane stirred in the darkness that surrounded her. She dared not open her eyes, although the only sound that met her ears, despite her own shuffling, was the soft swishing and swaying of a gentle breeze. Was this another dream? Or merely a vision? Was she asleep? She didn't know the answers, but she did not want newfound images to haunt her again. It was more than frightening. All she remembered was The Founder commanding for them to be put in her prison below the palace. Now, Jane only wondered where she was, and why she was supposed to be there. Nothing made sense._

 _"I suppose now you understand." A voice came from the darkness. She couldn't see past the black that covered her like a blanket._

 _"I don't understand anything." Jane managed to finally say through her growing fear. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest as her voice echoed through the void._

 _"You now know what it is like to be locked up." The voice replied. It was a man's voice, and although Jane was still very scared, it was surprisingly charming, "To feel like an animal in a cage... to have lost your freedom to a simple, absent minded mistake. We both understand what that feels like now."_

 _Jane bit down on her lower lip, trying to calm herself. "I'm in The Founder's prison." She replied, "There... there has to be a way out. And Jesse's coming back for me, I know he is!"_

 _"Ah yes. Your brother is a courageous one. A great leader and friend he must be. You're lucky to be a part of his life, eh?"_

 _"I..." Jane began, but her brows furrowed, "Who are you?" She blurted out loudly, making the echo in her voice more than noticeable. The voice didn't reply right away. He left a long moment of anticipation and silence, putting Jane on edge, until he finally stated,_

 _"A friend."_

...

With a surprising start, Jane snapped her eyes open and sat up, gasping from her dream. Her surroundings were the cold, damp prison she, Lukas and Ivor had been thrown into. It was late. She must've fallen asleep. The guard, Reginald, however, was still sorting their stuff he had confiscated from them before tossing the trio behind the iron bars.

"Hey, you okay?" Lukas asked Jane gently as he sat down beside her, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I might have." Jane muttered under her breath in reply, causing Lukas' eyebrows to furrow, "Have you ever had that feeling where... you know you're being warned?"

"What do you mean?" Lukas asked, feeling more than confused.

"I mean to the point where you don't know what you're being warned about. You just know something's coming. You can feel it. I keep having these dreams and visions. They don't make sense, but they burn the images in my brain to the point where they haunt me. I don't know what's coming... I just know something is. Unless I'm going crazy." She finished her last sentence with a whisper, turning her head to look at Reginald through the iron bars. It infuriated her that he had to be tampering with stuff that they owned.

"Do you really have to keep our stuff with you?" Jane snapped to the guard coldly, letting the frustration take her over.

Reginald shrugged, his back facing them, "Well it wouldn't be much of a jail if I let you keep your stuff."

Jane was about to storm up to the bars and argue, but Lukas put a hand firmly on her shoulder. All the stress was getting to her. He, in turn, was worried about her wellbeing.

"Whoa..." Reginald gasped as he turned around to face them with his hands full of sand, "What is this?"

"That's... mine...?" Lukas replied slowly as he stood up, walking to the iron bars. Jane and Ivor did the same.

"It's almost like dirt!" Reginald continued with fascination lacing his voice. Ivor gave him an annoyed look, but Reginald's curiosity made Jane feel somewhat intrigued.

"That's called sand." She told him, "You've never seen sand before?"

He shook his head before asking, "What's it do?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Ivor blurted out, "We are not going to explain sand to the guy locking us behind bars! I refuse!"

A sad look crossed Reginald's face as he replied, "Well... whatever it does, it's going in the chest with everything else."

Ivor began to growl, "Nothing sadder than an unimportant man on the world's tiniest power trip!"

"Hey, I don't have to take this!" Reginald shouted while marching up to the bars after he had put the sand away, "I'm in charge here! You're criminals. Aiden told everyone all about how horrible you are. He said that you burn down trees just for fun, that you steal all the world's treasures and hoard them for yourselves. He also said that you tame wild animals just so you can make them chase innocent people!"

Jane's mouth went slightly agape at all the lies Aiden had told about them.

"That rat..." She hissed under her breath while Ivor muttered something unintelligible. Lukas stayed silent.

"In all honesty... I don't see what would be your reason for doing things like that." Reginald continued in a much calmer tone.

"Because everything Aiden told you was a lie!" Jane burst out as she gripped the cold bars firmly, "We're innocent until proven guilty!"

Reginald's expression twisted in thought, but he heaved a sigh and replied, "I'm sorry... but this is the way it has to be. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go help the Blaze Rods beef up security." Straightening his uniform, he began to walk away.

"Reginald, you have to listen to me!" Jane pleaded while running after him as far as the prison would allow, "Aiden's tricked The Founder so that he can steal the Eversource for himself. There's not much time."

This made Reginald stop in his tracks. He quickly turned around and snapped, "They're personal guests of The Founder! And sure, maybe I don't like them all that much, but that doesn't give you a right to make such claims about them. I trust The Founder's instincts in who she herself puts her trust in."

"You or The Founder don't truly know anything about us! But my friends, brother and I are on your side. And I know for an absolute fact that Aiden wants you out of the way. Think about it! They're upstairs beefing up security with The Founder while you're what, down here locking up prisoners?"

There was a pause. "You're right..." Reginald sighed, "While I'm down here, who knows what they're telling her? Okay, let's say you make a good point. And I'm not saying you do! But hypothetically, why would I, Captain of the Guard, let you, criminals, out of that cell?"

"I know that if you think about it, you'll see. We're the good guys."

Reginald twirled his black mustache, "Hmm... Okay, let's say I'm heading to the pantry to get you prisoners some bread."

"And maybe you'll forget to lock the door?" Jane concluded for him, seeing the twinkle in his eye. With a wink, Reginald slowly unlocked it and walked off. Deep down, he knew the trio were indeed the good guys. Pulling on the iron bars, Lukas, Ivor and Jane at last opened up the cell. After a few hours of confinement, they were free again. Once they made sure to collect their rightful items from the chests, it was time to meet up with Jesse and Petra to stop the Blaze Rods.


	8. Chapter 8: Escape and an Eversource

The plan was in action. Milo helped Jesse and Petra to lead the Build Club members, who were carrying stacks of ladders they had recently learned to craft from sticks. The moon was half full, providing a decent amount of light. It reflected off of the guards' armor, allowing the group to easily avoid them. The members of Build Club were willing to draw the guards' attention to the front entrance while Milo, Jesse and Petra snuck around the back. So far, it was working perfectly.

"Okay, my friends," Milo whispered to Jesse and Petra once they had arrived at the back entrance, "this should take us right to the throne room. Once inside, we will just need to find the secret entrance that The Founder supposedly uses to get to the Eversource."

Jesse frowned and whispered back, "Remember, getting the Eversource is on you, not me! I'm getting my sister and our friends out. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Yes, well, it is still rather exciting."

The back entrance was at least ten feet from the ground. After placing down some ladders, the three of them climbed up and crept through. Right before their eyes sat the gold and iron throne room. It was much larger than Jesse or Petra would have imagined, but Milo had a look of distaste from past memories. They meandered in further, hoping and praying the wooden floorboards were not creaky. Once they were halfway through the room, the front entrance opened up, and they all flinched. Fear compelled them to freezing in place and they all felt their skin had paled. They expected guards and The Founder to come running in, but what met their eyes surprised them.

"Jane!" Jesse breathed out in utter relief as he ran up to engulf her in a loving hug. Lukas and Ivor were standing beside her, seeming quite shocked themselves.

"Jesse, I knew you'd come!" Jane exclaimed softly in relief, joyful tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"Boy, are we glad to see you guys." Lukas stated to the newcomers, brushing some blonde hair out of his face.

Petra smirked, "Right back atcha."

"I'm so happy you're here." Jane added in immediately with a deep worry embedded in her facial expression, "We think Aiden and the Blaze Rods are going after the Eversource."

Milo's eyes went wide at that.

"Which we obviously can't abide!" Ivor whisper yelled, trying to stay quiet, "We're here to get it first!"

"No, we're not." Jesse sternly replied, feeling frustrated, "We are not stealing from this city. It's wrong."

Ivor only glowered in return.

There was a pause until Lukas asked, "Who is this new guy, by the way?"

"The name's Milo." Milo replied with a smile while twirling his blonde mustache, "I'm here to search for the Eversource. If none of you will help me, I'll be on my way."

"We'll help locate its hiding place." Jane replied, already concocting up a little plan of her own, "But it's only so we can protect it from Aiden. What you plan on doing is entirely up to you. You actually live in this city. We don't."

They searched around the throne room, finally coming upon a secret door in need of a lever, which Ivor had stuffed in his inventory. The wall opened up and gave way to the new entrance once the lever had been placed and pulled. It lead to a tunnel with minecarts waiting at the entrance. They rode down into the depths of the palace, wondering if this really was where they were supposed to be going. After making it to the bottom and getting out of the minecarts, they discovered quickly that their surroundings were merely a large storage room. It was slightly disappointing, but perhaps not entirely.

The five foot tall stacks of chests at the entrance were labeled with the names of mobs. All different kinds. Confusion and curiosity began to well up in them. Jesse carefully opened up one of the chests under the label of "sheep" and pulled out an item. A spawn egg. None of them had ever seen spawn eggs before. They were the creation of mystical power, or commands, if given the ability. Jesse threw down the egg, spawning a sheep. It was a great startle to them all.

"I-Is that a monster?" Milo, who had never seen an animal before, hesitantly asked. "That's not so bad. It is fluffy."

"The eggs all have creatures inside them..." Petra observed.

"And they're all different colors." Lukas added as his hands were already full of different spawn eggs, "They must be, y'know, color-coded to what's in them. The Founder can spawn things whenever she wants to."

"Stay on your toes." Ivor commanded, "We must be close to the Eversource."

The storage room was long and deep. They searched and searched, only finding chests until they came to the very end. In the corner sat a bunch of grass blocks, and stumbling out was a little chicken wearing a red beaded necklace and small golden crown. Everyone was shocked and confused.

"The Eversource... is a chicken?!" Jane exclaimed in disbelief at the excited look on Milo's face.

"Yes..." Ivor breathed out, "The spawn eggs. It's so simple!"

Jesse pondered this, "So the chicken lays the eggs... and the eggs make monsters... and the loot from the monsters made this place."

The Eversource was a chicken who laid spawn eggs. Nothing would surprise them ever again.

Out of nowhere, in a seemingly flash of light, someone came, taking out a person of the group one by one. They were thrown across the room, landing on their backs with the thud. The only two that remained untouched were the twins. They turned around, seeing The Founder glaring at them while posing in a fighting stance. She was a surprising master at martial arts.

"I knew it." She hissed, "I knew you were here to steal from me!"

The Blaze Rods ran into the room with enchanted diamond swords drawn. The Founder really did trust them.

"Leave our friends alone!" Jesse shouted as he watched Maya and Gill point their swords at the fallen members of the group.

"Says the trespassing criminal." The Founder growled.

"It's just like I told you!" Aiden exclaimed through his fake innocence, "They're here to steal the Eversource."

"We came to protect it from you!" Jane shouted back, wanting to slap him.

The Founder continued, feeling very unhappy, "Aiden warned me that you were a pack of thieves, and here you are, prepared to make off with the one thing our city depends on to survive!"

"Boy, when you put it like that, I almost feel bad." Aiden replied, the tone of his voice turning to venom as he pulled out creeper spawn eggs. The Founder's eyes went wide. He was betraying her. Aiden laughed, "Yup, 'fraid I'm going to be taking the chicken. It's mine now."

"What?!" The Founder exclaimed as she clenched her fists, "This is outrageous! Don't do this."

With a devilish glare in his eyes, Aiden threw down the creeper spawn eggs, watching as the green monsters crowded around the group and combusted, created large holes in the walls that gave way to the very edge of the island. The shockwave knocked everyone over and threw The Founder out through the gaps in the wall. She let out a scream of fear as she clung onto the edge for dear life.

"I've got Aiden!" Lukas shouted to Jesse as he wrestled with the enemy, "Save The Founder!"

In determination and the will to help, Jesse ran over and pulled The Founder to safety. The fighting with Aiden continued, and shouts rose up from all directions. With an angry scream, Aiden pushed Lukas off the edge of the island. Time and space seemed to slow down from the shock. His terrified expression was pulled down with him into the void. He was gone.

"No!" Jesse yelled in utter rage, only to be shoved off the edge with The Founder moments later. Both he and her began to fall, watching as Aiden's smirk only grew into an evil smile.

"How dare you?!" Jane screeched, nearly blinded by the tears that poured out of her eyes. She could barely speak.

"I did what I had to do." Aiden replied firmly, gripping onto her jaw and relishing on the fear and pain that glistened in her eyes, "I'll be taking the rest of your friends hostage, but you must be out of the picture as well."

Punching her hard across the face, he knocked her out cold. He then grabbed her limp figure by the hair and dragged her off the edge, watching Jane fall the opposite direction from where her twin brother had descended.


	9. Chapter 9: Unbeknownst to All

Jane was falling. Falling into the cold, never ending abyss. She would die. She knew it. Or so she believed. Pain throbbed in her head. She felt too weak and disoriented to open her eyes. Aiden had hit her hard. She tried to fight the unconsciousness. She wanted to claw at it. To scream and cry for help. But it was useless. She would die, just like her brother, Lukas and The Founder. It felt like the end. She believed it was the end. There was nothing she could do to stop this. As a few tears threatened to escape the corners of her eyes, she felt a gush of strong wind blow around her, filling her with a strange warmth she had never experienced. It was soothing. Gentle. She felt as though strong arms had suddenly grasped around her, scooping her up to slow her fall. They were strong arms. The arms of her savior, whoever they were. She felt safe. She wanted so badly to open her eyes, but she could not break through to consciousness yet. She seemed to fade in and out. It wasn't until she had been set on the ground in some soft grass and felt a hand gently push some strands of hair from her face, was she finally able to open her eyes.

"Jane, are you alright?!" Jesse shook her shoulder before helping her to sit up. Jane looked around herself. She thought that there was nothing but the void below the sky islands. Everyone was wrong. There was land! She then noticed her brother and The Founder standing beside him were dripping wet. They had landed in a nearby pond, saving them from their thousand foot drop.

"How... what is happening?" Jane muttered, rubbing her forehead where she had been brutally punched.

"The void turned out to be land." Jesse quickly explained, "But the important question is, how did you survive the fall? You didn't land in the water."

Jane thought hard for a moment, "I... someone, or something... grabbed me and set me to safety. I don't know who or what it was. I guess... I don't really know." She concluded her sentence with her voice trailing off, still feeling the great confusion of what had happened. To Jesse, all that mattered was that his sister was safe. On that note, he helped her to stand.

"Jesse, Jane?!" A voice called out from the other side of the pond. It was Lukas!

"You made it!" Jane breathed out in relief once they had met up. No one had died.

Lukas nodded, "Yep. Only slightly worse for wear." He rubbed his sore arm and winced, "Gotta say, Aiden's tougher than I remember."

"I'm just happy you're alive." Replied Jane as she enveloped Lukas in a heartwarming hug.

The Founder stood off to the side, away from the three of them. She was strangely silent, staring at all of the trees that towered around them and just the wildlife in general. Everything was so overwhelming.

"I can't believe it..." The Founder finally muttered quietly to the trio, "This... this has been down here the whole time."

Jesse shrugged, "Well, land is gonna be a big game-changer for you guys. I mean, it's going to change everything!"

"Yes..." The Founder nodded with a strange sadness in her eyes, "The untouched biomes... everything. It's all a little overwhelming. What do I do now?"

"First thing's first, we're gonna go back up there and kick Aiden's butt!" Jesse sternly announced, nearly growling when he said the enemy's name.

The Founder's eyes widened, "Getting back up... my word, you're right! We need to do that. I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet."

Flaming monsters falling from the sky was enough to snap them to a suspecting danger on the sky island. Aiden was in way over his head with the spawn eggs.

"I can't leave my subjects in... whatever trouble they're in!" The Founder frantically exclaimed, "Will you help me get back to Sky City and stop Aiden?!"

"Of course we will." Jane replied sympathetically while placing a hand on The Founder's shoulder.

Getting straight to work with a few simple instructions, they began to gather up dirt blocks. They dug long and deep. It was something The Founder had never done before. As Jane dug, she uncovered something built out of gold and chiseled quartz. It was a portal that looked exactly like the one they used to enter the sky world.

"Jesse, look!" She exclaimed. Lukas was astounded, along with the twins.

Jesse smiled, "Once we get our flint and steel back from Aiden, it'll be our ticket out of here."

The Founder seemed more than surprised.

After gathering enough dirt blocks, Lukas offered to stay behind due to his injuries. It worried them, but they knew that down on land, he would be safe. Sharing good luck wishes, they built all the way back up to the sky island. It was very high and took a tremendous amount of time. They only hoped they wouldn't fall again. When they had finally made it back up, the city was in ruins. Mobs everywhere, people screaming, buildings on fire... there were even those who wanted to jump off the edge looking for death. The Founder stared in horror. Here, these people had no idea of the land that was below. The endless potential for living. They needed to be shown. They needed to know.


	10. Chapter 10: Sudden Insanity

Rain began pouring down on the city as Ghasts flew around, spitting out balls of fire on any and every sign of life. Zombies only added to the terror while growling with venomous drool dripping from their mouths. As the people ran around screaming, The Founder grew infuriated with what she saw. It pained her.

"What is going on here?!" She called out to a nearby guard as she pulled out two iron swords.

The guard reported quickly while limping on an injured leg, "The city is under attack by monsters, m'am. Everywhere! They seem to be coming from inside the palace itself."

"Aiden..." Jesse growled under his breath. Only Jane heard him. "C'mon, we need to stop him!" He continued loudly.

The Founder shook her head, "I'm sorry, Jesse, but I have to stay out here and save my people. You and your sister need to find your friends and stop him!"

"Take care of yourself out there." Jane added before she and Jesse darted off to hear The Founder shout back,

"And to you as well!"

The twins ran through the darkness. The sky was blackened, and rain clouds covered the moon.

"You're alive!" Someone, Milo, shouted out to them from where he was defending a few of his Build Club members, "Please, can you help us?"

The twins ran over, pulling out their weapons to cut their way through a pair of archer skeletons, finally ducking down by where Milo was trying to stay hidden from monsters near the walls of the inn.

"How are you alive?!" Milo asked with shock in his widened eyes, "I saw you go over the edge!"

Jesse stammered out a reply, "Quick version: you know how you all thought there was nothing but void below you? That was wrong, there's land."

Milo gasped, "You speak truthfully, my friend?"

"Yes!" Jane confirmed, nodding quickly, "Anyway, I thought Aiden planned on holding you hostage. Did you escape?"

"We all did. But it was too easy. It's not us he wants."

After Milo's words, the explosion of a fire charge snapped them out of their conversation. The danger was growing by the minute. Maya and Gill stood at the entrance of the palace, continuously throwing monster spawn eggs into the streets.

"We have to get in the palace." Jesse shouted loudly over the sounds of explosions.

"Then go, we'll cover you!" Milo replied as he motioned for the twins to head out, "God speed, my friends!"

The twins ran off, getting pelted by rain. Petra met up with them, becoming ecstatic knowing her friends didn't bite the dust. Although the twins' vision was blurred from the water dripping down their faces, they found Ivor, who slipped them an invisibility potion to help them run past Maya and Gill without them even noticing. Once they were inside and the potion effects wore off, they could see Aiden sitting on The Founder's throne. Reginald was standing before him, challenging him while yelling,

"You're delusional, Aiden! The people of Sky City will never bow to you!"

"The Captain of the Guard is right!" Jesse bellowed, announcing the arrival of both he and his sister, "You lost, the games are over. Stand down!"

Aiden's eyes widened in horror as he stood up and gasped, "I saw you fall! You went down!"

"You're alive!" Reginald cheered, "Is The Founder with you?!"

Before Reginald could be given an answer, Aiden hit him in the back, knocking him out cold.

Glowering at the twins, Aiden screamed, "I killed you once, I can do it again!" He threw down a spawn egg, bringing to life a flaming Blaze. Jane pulled out her bow and arrow, aiming and then firing three quick shots, knocking the Blaze down dead. Aiden leaped off of the throne, landing on Jesse and knocking him down. The two men dueled before Jane grabbed Aiden by the back of his shirt, pulling him off and temporarily choking him at the same time.

"Get off me!" Aiden growled at her, ripping the bow from her hands and pinning her to the ground. He pressed the wood of the bow against her throat, trying to cut off whatever air flow he could. "I'm gonna make sure you never open those pretty little eyes again." He hissed.

"Leave her alone!" Jesse screamed in anger, violently pushing Aiden off of Jane. The two men clashed swords, not once letting their focus leave the battle. Jane stood up quickly, but she began to feel terrified. Aiden was not holding back. He really would kill them. Brutally.

"This was supposed to be my world, and you ruined it!" Aiden shouted as thunder crashed from the outside.

"Listen to yourself, you're insane!" Jesse yelled back, not believing what he was hearing. A pure hatred flashed in Aiden's eyes as he continuously slammed his sword into Jesse's, pushing him to the outside garden behind the throne. Jane tried to fight him off but he only punched her away each time. With fury burning inside of her, she put away her bow and arrow to draw her own sword. She stood on her brother's side before slashing Aiden in the legs. He yelled in pain and fell over.

As the twins approached him, he scooted back until he was on the edge of the island. The hatred in his eyes turned to pure fear.

"You just can't stand to see someone else in the spotlight, can you?!" He wailed in a shaky voice, "You just can't let anyone else win! Oh... it just drives you crazy to see someone else succeed. You don't need satisfaction. It's always given to you. But me... you don't know what it's like!" He stood up, his leg bleeding profusely, "You don't know what it's like to experience a never ending torture of visions of a world you thought you forgot about... to hear screams and cries of others till they become your own... and it's all out of your grasp! IT RUINS YOU!" Insanity began glowing in his eyes. A strange darkness seemed to shade over his face. He then began talking to himself, "Told myself I would forget. I was supposed to forget. This world was rightfully mine... if I can't go back I'll have this one!" Snapping back into reality, he lunged at the twins. Jesse flung the sword out of his hand, just before Jane kicked him over again. Aiden was very close to falling.

Tears were stinging in Aiden's eyes now. He picked up his enchanted diamond sword quickly, staring at his reflection in the blade. He heard the explosions, along with the screams and cries of the people in the city. The rain trickled down his face as his expression was now embedded with deep sorrow. "I just want it all to end!" He yelled. Tightening his jaw in preparation, he then plunged his sword into his chest, making himself let out a blood curdling scream. The twins were horrified at the sight.

Jane caught him as he fell while Jesse slowly pulled out the now bloody sword.

"You didn't have to do this!" Jane breathed out to Aiden, "I understand. I had the visions too."

"B-But not day and night..." Aiden gasped for the air he was losing, "Constantly... to remember who you once were... and then forget... you will never understand." He then weakly lifted up his hand and placed it on the side of Jane's face, "I'm sorry..."


	11. Chapter 11: Sorrow and Serenity

"You did it... you won!" Reginald exclaimed under his breath after he had regained consciousness and ran out to the garden with the Eversource chicken in his arms. Now, the rain was quick to drench him. Both Jesse and Jane could not even turn around to give the lead guard recognition. They could only look down at Aiden who had died painfully in their arms. Although Aiden had strayed on the wrong path, his death caused tears to prick the corners of the twins' eyes. Never before had they witnessed anything so gruesome.

"He killed himself." Jesse explained to Reginald in a shaky voice, still not moving from his kneeling position, "He went insane. I didn't expect it to end like this. I thought..."

"We were hoping he would change." Jane continued for her brother, wiping her eyes from the tears and standing up. Jesse, after taking the enchanted flint and steel from Aiden's pocket, followed Jane and they approached Reginald, who took part in their sadness, looking at Aiden's lifeless body before it turned to dust.

The twins and Captain of the Guard, who was holding the chicken, walked out through the palace's entrance. The entirety of Sky City had been destroyed, despite the best efforts to save it. Ghasts were still flying around, only adding to the destruction. Petra and Ivor held Maya and Gill prisoner. The two Blaze Rod members were on their knees with guilty looks plain on their faces.

"Where's that punk, Aiden?" Ivor asked the twins who had approached with Reginald, "We heard the fighting. What happened in there?"

With a sad look and a deep breath, Jesse replied, "He stabbed himself in the heart. He went crazy." Gill's eyes widened at that as Maya choked out a sob.

With the Ghasts destroying everything in their paths, The Founder brought the remaining Sky City citizens over to where the twins stood. She almost knew what the leaders of the New Order had in mind.

"This situation is getting out of hand!" She told them frantically, "We simply can't stop all the monsters and protect my people, along with the Eversource. Do you think...?"

Jesse nodded firmly, "Yes. We're going over the edge."

Those who didn't know of the land below let out audible gasps, but Milo quickly assured them, without having seen it for himself, that it was the truth. An entire chunk had been torn off the front of the island from the start of the attack, but it helped them to see it had created a waterfall because of the nearby pond.

"Everyone, jump in here!" Jane called out as she instantly splashed into the water. Jesse almost pulled her out and protested, but when he began to see people following, even Maya and Gill, he jumped in and did the same. Soon, they were all riding down a waterfall that led to the pond below on land. Despite the loss of Sky City, they had gained endless resources and biomes.

The rain wasn't pouring as hard by the time they had landed. The people looked around themselves in awe of the land that would be their new home. Once everyone had made it to safety, The Founder approached the twins and said with a smile, "I simply cannot thank you both enough. You have saved us all."

"So... what do we do now?" Reginald asked as he stood near them.

With a cheeky grin, Jesse replied, "After you've gathered provisions and proved shelters for everyone, do whatever your hearts desire. Go have fun!"

The guards were quick to arrest Maya and Gill. Lukas met up with everyone while it took place, and the sight of it saddened him. When Jane told him what happened to Aiden, he was crushed further. Aiden was once an old friend of his.

As the sun attempted to peak through the clouds, The Founder called everyone's attention and announced, "We owe a great debt to the New Order of the Stone. But now that we're all safe, we need to organize. Start planning our new community."

"Are you listening to yourself?!" Milo shouted from the crowd as he ran up to The Founder, "That's insane! We were prisoners long enough on that island. It's time for us to run free and build whatever we please!"

The two began to argue to the point of shouting. It was startling.

"Whoa, guys, listen!" Jane exclaimed with her hands out in front of her to get their attention, "You two can compromise. There's always room for that! Just embrace the fact that you are so much more free than you were before." That seemed to settle matters.

"Well... I suppose the era of Sky City is over." The Founder told the twins, Lukas, Ivor and Petra with a shrug as she walked up to them, "Your contributions to our world will never be forgotten. I guarantee we will be telling stories for many, many years to come." She ended with a wink.

"We were honored to have helped, Founder." Jesse replied with a small nod of his head.

The Founder chuckled, "The name's Isa." With that, she walked away to assist her people, allowing Milo to help give out instructions. It was clearly going to be a beautiful start for them.

"You know something?" Lukas asked after Isa had walked away, "She was a little scary at first, but she's alright."

Petra laughed, "I'm gonna miss that crazy Milo."

"Yeah. It's time for us to head home." Jesse responded, earning strange glares from Petra and Ivor, "Jane, Lukas and I found a portal that looked exactly like the one we used to get here!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Ivor cheered, already turning around in circles to see if he could spot anything.

Just as the twins were about to lead the way, the Eversource chicken jumped in front of them, making a clumsy appearance.

"Oh there you are!" Isa exclaimed as she ran to pick up the chicken, "So sorry about her."

Jesse shrugged, "It's okay. It looks like she's having fun!"

"Yes indeed. I think she took it pretty well when I told her she didn't need to be the Eversource anymore." She then knelt down in front of the chicken and spoke in a baby voice, "What are we going to do with you now, huh?"

"What's her name?" Jane asked out of curiosity.

"Benedict." Isa replied proudly, "She's my little sweetheart!"

Ivor scoffed, "That's a boy's name!" Isa simply ignored him.

Taking the little golden crown off of Benedict's head, Isa gave it to Jesse and continued, "This is a gift I give to you, your sister and friends. I would be honored if you would take it as a small token of gratitude."

Jesse smiled and nodded, reminiscing in his mind the crazy adventure they had. After bidding a true farewell, the New Order made their way off to the portal they were going to take back home. Once they lit it with the enchanted flint and steel, they walked through, feeling the rush of teleportation and pure joy.

When they had landed on their feet, they looked around themselves. They were not home. They were nowhere recognizable. They were in a long, seemingly never-ending hallway. A hallway filled with thousands of portals...


End file.
